Call-finder for automatic and semi-automatic telephone systems.



J. N. REYNOLDS.

CALL FINDER FOR AUTOMATIC AND SEMI-AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SYSTEMS. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13, 1916.

1,270,326.. Patent-ad June 25, 1918.

by m,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN NEWBEBBY REYNOLDS, OF GBEENWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CALL-FINDEE FOR AUTOMATIC AND SEMI-AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1918.

Application fled December 13, 1916. Serial No. 188,844.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN Nnwnmmr REYNOLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenwich, in the county of Fairfield-and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Call-Finders for Automatic and Semi-Automatic Telephone Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact descriptlon.

This invention relates to automatic and semi-automatic telephone systems.

In an application for patent filed in the name of Samuel B. Williams, J r., Serial No. 858,461, filed August 25, 1914, for improvements in automatic telephone systems, assigned to the same assignee as the present application, a telephone system is described which is characterized by a distributer or call finder common to a cup of lines which successivel tests said .ines, and, when it finds a ca ling line which has not already been seized by a line finder, starts a linefinder hunting for said callin' line. In said Williams application the cafi finder is described as being a constantly driven switch of the brush and commutator type.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved call finder adapted for use, for example, in a system such as that described in the aforesaid Williams application, although obviously a switch of this character may be used for other purposes. One of the advanta es of the device hereinafter described resi es in the fact that the contact members are not of the brush and commutator type which is subject to excessive wear but are of a type hav- In much better wearing qualities.

The drawing is a perspective view, certain parts being broken away, of a call finder embodying the present invention, in connection with which certain apparatus and circuits are diagrammatically indicated.

At A is indicated in the usual conventional manner the substation apparatus of one of the group of telephone lines connected to the call finder hereinafter described. It is to be understood that the conductors 2 and 3 extending to said substation not only are connected to the call finder, but

also extend to a pluraliti1 of line finders, one of which is illustrated 'agrammatically at B. These line finders are common to a group of substations of which the substation A is one. It is also to be understood that the urpose of the call finder hereinafter descri d and the relays C and D cooperating therewith, is to complete the circuit of the starter wire 4, which causes one of a plurality of line finders, such as B, to operate and seize the calling line. The relay C of the present system has the same function as the relay 123 of said Williams system; and the starter wire 4 of the present system corresponds to the starter wire in the system of the aforesaid Williams application which extends from the fixed contact of the relay 123 to the winding of the relay 136. It is also to be understood that the resistance E shown in the drawing of the present application corresponds to the resistance 121 of said Williams application; and that said resistance, as in the system of the Williams application, is common to the test circuit of the call finder hereinafter described, and to a pluralit of circuits completed in parallel from the attery whenever a line finder has seized the line leading to the substation A.

The structureof the call finder and the manner in which it performs its function will now be described. The call finder consists of the stationary metal rings 5, 6 and 7, separated from each other and from the supporting members 8 by means of insulating rings 9, 10 and 11. To the outer ends of these members 8 is fixed a metal ring 12, supporting the radially disposed groups of sprin 13 embedded in insulating material 14. he individual springs 15, 16 and 17 of each group are of different lengths, and so arranged that when depressed, they make contact with rings 5, 6' and 7, respectively. Springs 16 and 17 are connected together by means of the insulating stud 18, and to springs 17 is attached a pole piece 19 of magnetic material.

entrally disposed in this structure is a shaft I 20, to which is secured an arm 21, at the free end of which is attached electromagnet 22. The shaft 20 may be rotated throu the gear wheel 24 by any well-known driving means (not shown). The electromagnet 22 is, by this means, passedvunderneath one 1e piece 19 after the other, and will thereore, if energized, bring each pair of springs 16 and 17 in succession into contact with their respective rings 6 and 7. Each spring 17 is provided with a wedge 23, adapted to press in between the two rollers 25, mounted same radial direction as and parallel with arm 21. On shaft 27 there is fixed a gear wheel 29, engaging a crown gear 31 mounted on top of ring 5. A star-wheel 30, also fixed on shaft 27, is adapted by means of its tips to successively engage and press springs 15 into engagement with the ring 5 when the shafts 20 and "27 are rotated. I The springs 16 and 17 of each pair are connected to conductors, such as 2 and 3, leading to a subscribers station, such as A, and all contact springs 15 are connected to a common conductor leading through a resistance E to ground. To the rings 6 and 7 are connected conductors leading to a relay C, and ring 5 is connected to a relay D which, by means of its armature 41 and through the medium of brushes 42 and contact rings 13, is adapted to close the energizing circuit 10 for the magnet 22.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: When the subscriber at station A lifts his receiver from the hook and when the constantly rotating star-wheel 30 depresses the corresponding spring 15, a circuit is es tablished from battery, through relay D, ring 5, spring 15, resistance E, to ground. This energizes relay D and "closes at 41 the energizing circuit 40 for electromagnet 22, and the corresponding pair of springs 16 and 17 are thereby attracted by electromagnet 22, and contact is madewith rings 6 and 7. A circuit is thereby established from battery, through left-hand'winding of relay C, ring 7, spring 17, conductor 3, through subscribers station A, conductor 2, sprin 16, ring 6, right-hand winding of relay to ground. RelayCis now energized and at contacts 48 connects ground to conductor 4.

i All these three circuits are broken as soon each being common to one terminal in each set, mechanical actuating means for causing one terminal of each set to successively engage their common contact, electromagnetic actuating means for causing the other terminals in each set to engage with their common contacts, and a relay controlled by a circuit through the first-mentioned terminals and contact for operating said electromagnetic means. 2. The combination with telephone lines of a call finder comprising a set of movable terminals for each line, stationary contacts, each being common to one terminal in each set, mechanical actuating means for causing the corresponding terminals in each set to successively engage their said common contact, electromagnetic actuating means for causing the other terminals in each set to engage their common contacts, and means for moving said mechanical and electrical actuating means in unison from set to set.

3. The combination with telephone lines of a call finder comprising a set of movable 10o terminals for each line, stationary contacts, each common to one terminal in each set, a rotatable shaft, mechanical means operated by the rotation of said shaft for causing the engagement of a terminal in each set in succession with their common contact, and electromagnetic means associated with said shaft for causing the engagement of the other terminals in each set with the other common contacts respectively.

4. The combination with telephone lines,

of a call finder comprising a set of movable terminals for each line, stationary contacts each common to a series of terminals in each set, mechanical means for causing the engagement of one terminal in any set to their common contact, a relay controlled through said terminals and their common contact, and an electromagnet controlled by said set for causing the engagement of the other terminals in any set with their common colitacts, and means for, moving said mechanical means and electromagnet from set to set.

5.- The combination with telephone lines of a call finder comprising a movable test/ terminal for each line, movable line terminals for each line, corresponding stationary contacts common thereto, mechanical means for causing the test terminals to engage in succession with their common contact, test- 139 ing means successively controlled through said test terminals and their common contact, electromagnetic means controlled by said testing means for causing the corresponding line terminals to. engage in succession with the other common contacts, and a circuit controlling means actuated by the circuit through said line terminals and their common contacts.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 10 my name this 11th day of December, A. D. 1916.

JOHN NEWBERRY REYNOLDS. 

